White students more likely to secure law firm sponsorship, research finds

Major SRA report examines ethnicity attainment gap in law exams

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published new report that reveals white students are nearly twice as likely to secure funding from a law firm for their professional qualifications compared to their Black and Asian peers.

The research, commissioned by the regulator in December 2021 and undertaken by academics at the University of Exeter, looks at why certain ethnic groups tend to perform better than others in law exams.

The report found that while 45% of white students had their Legal Practice Course (LPC) fees covered by their future training firms, the percentages for Asian and Black students was much lower at 24% and 26% respectively. It further found that 43% of Asian and 45% of Black LPC students had a legal role secured for when they completed their LPC, compared with 66% of white students.

According to the report, this is due to firms often relying solely on A-Level results, without considering the context in which those grades were achieved, which is more likely to lead to white students being recruited.

Researchers also noted that belonging to a minority ethnic group increases the likelihood of experiencing discrimination and bias in educational settings and reduces access to work experience opportunities in law firms.

The report says the absence of ethnic diversity among academic staff and in the examples taught in law schools can affect students’ sense of belonging and perception of fitting into the profession. They said this situation can lead to microaggressions and bias from academic staff in the classroom, ultimately impacting the learning experience of minority ethnic students.

As in previous years, the SRA’s latest education and training report showed that students from ethnic groups were less likely to successfully complete the LPC, a trend that has continued with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

Researchers said they were unable to identify a single, simple cause or solution to what what is a “complex issue”.

The report is based on a literature review (which we covered last year) and includes a survey of 1,200 undergraduate and LPC students, alongside interviews with newly qualified solicitors, law lecturers, and senior figures in law firms.

Researchers also discovered that individuals performing well in their professional assessments typically faced fewer challenges during their school, university, and professional education experiences. They tended to have had greater access to positive workplace opportunities and role models from a similar background.

In response to the findings, the SRA has committed to bringing together education providers, law firms, and the wider legal sector to work together to address the issues identified in the report. It will also develop an action plan informed directly by the findings.

Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: “A student’s ethnicity should not impact their opportunity to study law or secure a career in the legal profession, yet the evidence shows that it does. This is a wakeup call for the legal and education sectors to address a serious imbalance in outcomes for minority ethnic students.”

“Taking the knowledge and insight from this research, we will bring together law firms, education providers and representative groups to discuss how we can all take action to address these differential outcomes,” he continued.” Collectively, we need to bring about widespread change.”